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16 Travaux préparatoires: United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized CrimeEuropean Commission (A/AC.254/L.217)“Article 2 bis“Use of terms“1. The European Commission proposes to add the following new subparagraphafter subparagraph (i):‘“Regional economic integration organization” shall mean an organization constitutedby sovereign States of a given region, to which its member States have transferredcompetence in respect of matters governed by this Convention and which hasbeen duly authorized, in accordance with its internal procedures, to sign, ratify, accept,approve or accede to it; references to “States Parties” under this Convention shallapply to such organizations within the limits of their competences.’” 25Notes by the Secretariat6. At its tenth session, the Ad Hoc Committee considered, finalized and approvedarticle 2 bis, as amended. The last amendments are reflected in the final text of the convention,as included in the report of the Ad Hoc Committee (see A/55/383, sect. IV, draftresolution, annex I), that was submitted to the General Assembly for adoption pursuant toresolution 54/126 of 17 December 1999.B. Approved text adopted by the General Assembly (see resolution55/25, annex I)Article 2Use of termsFor the purposes of this Convention:(a) “Organized criminal group” shall mean a structured group of three ormore persons, existing for a period of time and acting in concert with the aim ofcommitting one or more serious crimes or offences established in accordance withthis Convention, in order to obtain, directly or indirectly, a financial or other materialbenefit;(b) “Serious crime” shall mean conduct constituting an offence punishable bya maximum deprivation of liberty of at least four years or a more serious penalty;(c) “Structured group” shall mean a group that is not randomly formedfor the immediate commission of an offence and that does not need to have formallydefined roles for its members, continuity of its membership or a developedstructure;(d) “Property” shall mean assets of every kind, whether corporeal or incorporeal,movable or immovable, tangible or intangible, and legal documents orinstruments evidencing title to, or interest in, such assets;25Definition taken from article 2 of the Convention on Biological Diversity (United Nations Treaty Series, vol. 1760,No. 30619) followed by other United Nations conventions. The last part is similar to the text of the 1988 Convention andarticle 1, paragraph 2, of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (United Nations Treaty Series, vol. 1833,No. 31363. It could be avoided if, as in the Convention on Biological Diversity, the term “Contracting Parties” were to beused instead of the term “States Parties”.